The day prior to the attacks, he wrote of his excitement of seeing some of the city’s famous sights.

“Seeing the Eiffel Tower and all the other historical sites of Paris has made me realise just how big the world really is compared to Wagga,” Tyson wrote.

Closer to home, Wagga’s French community was left reeling as news of the attacks filtered through.

Annie Adriaenssens, originally from the northern French town of Roubaix, has lived in Wagga for more than two decades, was left in shock when she found out what happened.

“I didn’t realise how bad it was until my children called me and said, ‘watch the TV’,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it. Why is it happening in France again?”

Ms Adriaenssens is planning to travel to France over Christmas – though she has yet to book her flights – with her daughter, who will be spending the first half of next year studying at university there, and admits she’s scared about returning home following the attacks.